Delicious Italy

If it's a Zampogna, its Christmas

As soon as there is a chill in the air in Rome, you know Christmas is around the corner.

And the great thing is, as long as there is no chill in the air, you know there will be no chance of festive decorations blotting the landscape.

It's a kind of pact between the autumn seasonal cycle and the Comune di Roma to not ruin our end of year break by starting it in September.

And to prove our theory, the temperature really did drop today, dutifully accompanied by the first and traditional zampognari.

These colorful caracters wear sheepskin and are typically found in the central Italian Apennines and the Lazio Abruzzo border.

They play one of Europes oldest instruments, a type of bagpipe but with a very high pitched sound.

Its a great site and passers by normally give them a few cents for their efforts. 

Just to make sure they were the real deal, we asked from where in Abruzzo they originated. The reply was Castel di Sangro. The follow up questions regarded the local football and their successful run in the late 1990's. All passed with flying colours and blind faith in their team. 

Head to Piazza Navona this Christmas to find them for yourself.

http://www.zampognari.com/testo_inglese.htm

 

Italian ice cream

Is traditionally made Italian ice cream the best in the world? Of course it is. Just take a closer look at some of the ingredients they put in your favourite supermarket brand: genetically modified fish parts anyone!

To further make our point here is a quick recipe for strawberry ice cream Italian style.

Firstly, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until they form a pale and thick mixture. Heat the milk until it almost reaches boiling point then pour over the eggs, stirring continuously. Rinse the pan, pour back the custard mix and stir over a low heat until it thickens. Chop the strawberries into small pieces and mix them into the egg custard. Stir in the cream and pour the lot into a bowl. Part freeze, whisk again then refreeze. Keep frozen until temptation becomes too strong.

The ‘gelateria’ of Italy sell an incredible range of ice cream, but the most popular combination of flavours is, and will remain forever, cream 'crema' and chocolate with 'panna' topping them off. 'Panna' in English by the way means 'cream' which makes things a little confusing, while cream or 'crema' is sometimes known as 'vanilla' back home. Are you following?

So perhaps the best thing to do is to experiment to find that unique personal combination. Perhaps 'zuppa inglese' with 'straciatella' or 'amerena' with ‘tiramisu'.

Also note that that flavours such as coffee, which can seam a little sickly back home, when made with fresh ingredients and without preservatives retain all their original flavour. This applies especially to 'pistachio', the famous green nuts grown around Mount Etna in Sicily.

Nevertheless, there are gelateria branching out into more exotic and original flavours. A small independent shop in north west Rome specialises in such flavours as ‘pear and gorgonzola’ and ‘pineapple with ginger’.

A word about sorbets or sorbetti.

Traditionally made in the summer they can in no way be called a fruit ice cream. They a simply fruit in season liquidised then mixed with a syrup of sugar and water, itself prepared cold.

The amounts of each are not so important so you can’t really go wrong. And now we are back to those strawberries, by far the most popular fruit for a sorbet, but melons, figs and oranges are all good alternatives.

Not ice cream at all, but equally delicious here in Rome is 'grattachecca'. At the height of the summer small road side stalls sell crushed ice in a plastic cup flavoured with one of a range of fruit flavourings such as coconut or lemon and our favourite, tamarind.

Novello wine from Pisa

Pisa Vini - Pisa Olio is an initiative which, not by chance, coincides with the production of both the novello wine and new olive oil from the territory of Pisa in Tuscany.

Both Pisa with its famous leaning tower as, well as smaller hamlets inside the province hold the events throughout November.

The fulcrum for Pisa Vini - Pisa Olio is the 'Stazione Leopolda' in Pisa where the Associazione Grandi Cru della Costa Toscana organise as series of tastings and exhibitions on the 25th & 26th November.

Also participating is the Associazione Provinciale Pisana Ristoratori (APPRI) or Association of Pisa Restaurants who serve special meals for the occasion.

Taste Italia!

There are a number of Italy dedicated magazines out there.

The market is booming, but if you can't read all of them, then we would choose Taste Italia!

From the same publishing company which produces Calcio Italia!, Taste Italia! was launched today.

www.tasteitaliamag.com

Magazines might still do photographs better than the web for the moment and we especially like the Step-by-step Focaccia guide by Ursula Ferrigno.

A bite sized history of Focaccia in Liguria

Bacon or Pancetta

It's always interesting to read daily releases and communications, but this headline in our email box caught the attention:

'Stop alle imitazioni del bacon (pancetta) da colazione inglese e dell’extravergine italiano'.

Translated that's 'stop all imitations of bacon in English breakfasts and of Italian olive oil'

Apparently, an agreement has just been reached between Coldiretti in Italy and the National Farmers Union in the UK to continue the struggle for clear labelling of all our foodstuffs, with particular attention to origin.

This is an historic moment for two traditionally opposed culinary cultures, Mediterranean and Anglosaxon, with more in common than at first seems.

Salento Passion

We received an email from a young company based in the province of Lecce, Puglia.

They are promoting the color and passion of their home territory through a series of clothing products branded 'Salentu'; from T-shirts to caps, sweatshirts and other items.

Salento is the land of the pizzica, the fabulous traditional dance which is also incorporated into one of their trademarked logos. 

The yellow sun, blue sea, deep brown earth of the zone are all represented in the products of 'Salentu' and we have chosen this strong read and yellow T-shirt to give you an idea.

The colors are also those worn by local football team - Lecce.

www.salentu.it

November rain in Pistoia

If you had to choose the worst time of the year to visit Pistoia in north Tuscany, it would be a rainy day in mid November immediately after the weekly market, which you've just missed.

Still, if you want to experience the annual olive oil harvest you have to take your chances, and we wouldn't want it any other way.

After a series of hot chocolates in the historical centre, we took the road running west from Pistoia to reach Montecatini Terme at around 9pm.

In pitch blackness we eventually found the olive processing plant, a small factory in the suburbs of Monsummano Terme.   

It is important to realise that once picked the olives are pressed without delay and the 'frantoi' work continuously.

Typically, 2 weeks solid, 24 hours out of 24, before closing again until the following November.

But the result is stunning. Seeing the deep green olive oil emerging from a series of mechanical process, is a great thrill.

To finish, toasted bread, vino rosso and the fine company of the satisfied olive growers.

Autostrada cheese and ham

Hiring a car and taking the side roads is one of the great pleasures of travelling independently in Italy.

What could be better than meandering aimlessly through the Val d'Orcia in the province of Siena, Tuscany, looking for a family run trattoria?

Nevertheless, distances can be very large and every driver has to take the autostrade before long.

But don't fret, local food and drink is still at hand. Every 37km or so are the eternal Autogrills or fast food equivalents.

Not only is it possible to have a nice lasagna and half a liter of watered down wine before continuing your journey, you can view substantial displays of local typical products as you walk through the one way shops leading to the the exit.

Interestingly, the motorway stopovers subtly change their range as you pass from region to region, making it possible to have an intense introduction to traditional Italian food territory by territory.

Pictured is the well stocked cheese and salami counter along the A1 at the level of Fabro in Umbria. 

November sun in Rome

You may ask yourself if a trip to Italy or Rome at the end of October will catch the final hot days of the year.

Well, you could get lucky, or you could find yourself with daytime temperatures of 5°.

Only a week ago the beaches of Ostia and the Roman coast saw people having post summer dip in the sea under a 24° mini heat wave. This week 15° has disappeared somewhere.

In fact, the Ortles in Alto Adige registered the coldest ever temp for the period: -21°.

   

Is that a deliciousitaly blog?

So a blog, yes finally a blog. A delicious blog, to bring you the bits and pieces which didn't end up in our main www.deliciousitaly.com website.

It will be a place to share travel experiences, disagree, perhaps in Italian, add thoughts, ideas, comments, all from the point of view of eating and travelling well.

We may recommend our favourite restaurant or wine cantina in Bagnoli Irpino, and expect you to do the same.

We hope to inspire, to urge you to visit lost corners of the Calabrian Apennines, and there are a few.

We dont know where this beaten track will take us, but come along, full stomachs guaranteed.